My fear. Any suggestions?.

[JackTar]

Lot of tough guys on this forum, must be sitting behind their keyboards kissing their biceps and checking themselves out on web cam. Some people are scared of snakes biting them, big whoop.

I bet all the people saying harden up are the biggest fairies you're ever likely to meet.

 

[Gruni]

Hey Jack, about you keep it in perspective... the op is worried about being tagged by a 2 month or so old hatchie Antaresia. My 15month old latched on this morning and I mean about as seriously as he could and it still didn't 'hurt'. Their not saying harden up and let a 6m Jungle just latch on.

On top of that Josh admits that he knows it's silly to be worried about being tagged by the little guy but rather what the best way is to get past his fear, and in this case HTFU and let it bite him is probably the best approach.

 

[JackTar]

Pretty hard to put fear into perspective, different people are afraid of different things and some people are afraid of some extremely benign things, this does not make them soft it makes them normal.

Comments like harden up don't help at all they are not constructive and as a matter of fact they are borderline bullying. I would like the experts to tell me how exactly does one harden up?

I used to do amateur boxing in Darwin and every now and then there would be a guy who thought he wanted to box but was more there because his mates did it. Guess what, a lot of those guys no matter how many fights they had were still no good at taking a punch so how does one harden up?

 

[CaptainRatbag]

Josh, try using some repti-hand or F10 gel (antibacterial gel) on your hands and fore-arms before picking it up. It certainly wont associate you with food then?

 

[Gruni]

Pretty hard to put fear into perspective, different people are afraid of different things and some people are afraid of some extremely benign things, this does not make them soft it makes them normal.

Comments like harden up don't help at all they are not constructive and as a matter of fact they are borderline bullying. I would like the experts to tell me how exactly does one harden up?

I used to do amateur boxing in Darwin and every now and then there would be a guy who thought he wanted to box but was more there because his mates did it. Guess what, a lot of those guys no matter how many fights they had were still no good at taking a punch so how does one harden up?

What a fantastic comparison??? I have fought full contact martial arts and the fear of being hit is a very real one because it CAN and DOES hurt. The nip from a hatchie doesn't and can't. It's also not a case of just 'hardening up' the advice has been (paraphrase) 'take a deep breath and let him strike so you know it doesn't hurt'. I flinched a lot when my guy bluffed at me when I got him, and he wasn't a hatchling, but I have been hit twice now and know what to expect and the 'discomfort' (if you can call it that) so now I just do what I need to do and no more flinching.

 

[Ally04]

It's not worrying about it hurting because obviously it isn't going to hurt. It's more that they are so quick and your really not sure what to expect with your first snake.

 

[Gruni]

And that is exactly the point Ally, I was just talking about it with a friend who is visiting and has had very little to do with snakes. We both agree the fear itself is very normal and that it is the speed with which they move that makes you flinch at first. At the end of the day though, once you have been tagged you stop worrying because it is inevitable and you also know it's no big deal.

Just to let Josh know I understand he can check this out... http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/mac-tried-eat-183327/

 

[JackTar]

It's also not a case of just 'hardening up' the advice has been (paraphrase) 'take a deep breath and let him strike so you know it doesn't hurt'.

Read the whole thread, there have been plenty of people tell this guy to harden up and I am not paraphrasing.

 

[Gibblore]

Buy a canary and work you way up to snakes lol

 

[Wookie]

I have a blonde spotted and she just over 3 months old

:lol:

 

[Nes88c]

I'm in the same boat, my childrens is 6 months old n very fistey. U can even walk into the room with him "s" ing and lashing at the click clack. He has tagged me once the first time I got him out. N I haven't got him out again. But this is cos he's just eaten and she'd n is VERY cranky ATM. I will let him settle for a whole before I try to handle him... But it is great to see so much advice, will definitely be doing these things

 

[pretzels]

i got a full on proper bite from my little man for the first time a few days ago. didnt hurt at all but the shock of it had my shaking a little bit. i laughed it off tho and havent a problem getting him out or anything.

 

[CaptainRatbag]

Try using the other hand to pick it up?

It might look at the tattoo and be terrified, knowing you are a Kiwi? (it might have overheard the sheep talking amongst themselves) :lol:

 

[Shaggz]

I have been waiting for mine to bite me and get it over and done with, in fact I want to know what it feels like so bad that I have even been around to a mates house and handled his Olive hatchy that is meant to be extremely aggressive only to be bluffed but no bite. I know it is going to happen eventually and have that bit of apprehension worrying what it is like but I am lucky enough to be able to stop that turning into a genuine fear.

I hope you can get over this fear soon and be able to enjoy your snake without worry.

 

[Gruni]

So what we said al along then Pretzels... get the bite, realise it is nothing and forget about it in future.

 

[graphitebeans]

Hey Josh_p - if you're worried about getting bitten, and the advise here is not helping you get through it (I'm not going to read the whole thread) you can watch some of these silly people get bitten a bunch, and here is the video for you
Snake Bytes TV - Handling the Meanest Snakes in the World! SnakeBytesTV - YouTube
Now, nothing can really prepare you for getting bitten, and if you don't find yourself able to go in and pick up your little one without fear you need to acquaint yourself with the experience without actually getting bitten as much as possible. Text can only go so far, and these guys have some good advice, and make getting bitten a bit silly. It will give you advise for removing a snake who is having a feeding response (I've always found water on the head works, and would only resort to using listerine if the water didn't work and the snake was eating my finger) and if the snake is defensive I've found the advise in that video helps a lot. I have a spotted python who is simply a really bitey little snake, and after watching these guys' videos I can get him out of his enclosure without getting bitten (doesn't mean he never gets me though lol)
I hope you can get used to handling your snake, and wish you the best of luck.

 

[pretzels]

So what we said al along then Pretzels... get the bite, realise it is nothing and forget about it in future.

yep exactly he doesnt seem to be enjoying being out tho. almost attached himself to my face before when i tried to get him out. silly snake smacked into the glass instead of mummys face

 

[Gruni]

Is he coming due for a shed? Mine gets knarky when he's about to shed. Other than that gradually longer handling on a regular basis should calm him down.

 

[pretzels]

nope hes just had his shed. he should be perfectly happy to come out. hes been fed ( 3 days ago) isnt due to shed. hes just being a cranky ba**ard.
he has no choice tho. he still comes out everyday, im getting him out with the hook now tho. but he is fast enough to shoot up that and latch on when he wants to.
perseverance and patience.
hes meant to be the quietest out of his batch to...

 

[CaptainRatbag]

Get some repti-hand or F10 gel and put plenty (dripping)on your hand/wrist, where he usually likes to latch on.... see if he likes the taste of that? :lol: